D. Laurence Rogers... Author and Historian.

"Knowledge of the past enlightens the present,and can offer a clearer vision of the future."

My Books

Apostles of Equality:The Birneys, the Republicans,and the Civil War.The first biographical account of the life of James Gillespie Birney in more than fifty years, this fabulously insightful history illuminates and elevates an all-but-forgotten figure whose political career contributed mightily to the American political fabric. Birney was a southern-born politician at the heart of the antislavery movement, with two southern-born sons who were major generals involved in key Union Army activities, including the leadership of the black troops. The interaction of the Birneys with historical figures (Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Henry Clay) highlights the significance of the family’s activities in politics and war. D. Laurence Rogers offers a unique historiography of the abolition movement, the Civil War, and Reconstruction through the experiences of one family navigating momentous developments from the founding of the Republic until the late 19th century.

Paul Bunyan:
How a Terrible Timber Feller Became a Legend.This is a history story and educational book documenting early lumbering folklore and literary origins of the legend of Paul Bunyan. Includes the first Bunyan poem, drawings and cartoons of the world's most well known heroic figure. Ties to H.L. Mencken and several other authors are described. Explains links of legend to Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and California. interesting reading for History buffs and students.

Ghosts, Crimes & Urband Legends of Bay City, Michigan.Pioneers struggled daily to survive in the wilderness of dense forests, marshlands and hostile wild animals and unfriendly native Indians. Prior to these settlers the place was a gathering place for several tribes who often broke out in savage battles with the dead being buried here. The white folks were not much different, except they engaged in deadly criminal activities. The violent deaths left many souls (ghost) that are still seen to this day.